Fireproof
by Dr-Lemona
Summary: “I, Yuuki Nao, had fallen in love with the wrong person.” An attempt at exacting revenge turns into a beautiful disaster. AU, present day.
1. Prologue: Bye Bye, Beautiful

Good Evening everyone, Author here.

So here is another piece, hopefully for your enjoyment. Alternate Universe, Carnival never happened.

A note on the style: This is an experiment in 1st person point-of-view. At the end/beginning/middle of each part there might be a break that reverts to the present day. This is, essentially, a conversation between two individuals with one (or both) of the individuals' recollections filling in the blanks.

Mai-Hime belongs to Sunrise

* * *

**Prologue: Bye bye, Beautiful**

Love is only what you make of it.

Sounds cliché, but it really does boil down to that. It can be fickle if you think it is, and it can be nice if the same attitude applies to it. As of right now I just find love to be kind of funny; not in the "haha" way but more on the lines of "the gods must have an awful sense of humor" way. And by awful I really mean that word in every sense. These past few months have not been a cakewalk despite having eaten lots of it. Come to think of it there's a lot of leftovers from the party still tucked away in the fridge, but they can wait. There are more important things to talk about, after all.

Like why I'm in this apartment, for instance. It's a rather pleasant February afternoon, three o'clock to be exact. If I look outside the curtained windows I would be able to see the general population milling around somewhere or another. Valentine's Day isn't for another week but I know that the stores are already packed with over-eager girls ready to impress this year's heartthrobs with some hopefully edible attempt at baking. Me, I'm not much of a baker myself, although we both have sweet tooths. You wouldn't have guessed it from her, really. She doesn't look the type to indulge in too many sweets. And we had already decided not to do anything this year. Why? Because it's also the Day. The Day. I tend to avoid the house like the plague, and it's not as if she complains about it either.

You know, it really isn't my fault that things happened the way they did. It's not their faults either. I'm not sure how to explain it, really. They loved each other, that much was certain. Even they were aware of how much they loved each other, which was a miracle in itself considering how amazingly stupid one of them was when it concerned things like feelings. I was amazed that it went as far as it did.

But she couldn't stop. She just couldn't stop.

So they fell apart.

It's only natural, really. What goes up must come down, and even though you shake your head and try to tell me otherwise you know that the laws of gravity can apply to abstract concepts just as well. It's not science, you know. It just isn't something to be measured, yet I can tell you right now with a straight face that you are wrong and all good things really do come to an end. In sickness and in health? Yeah, right. Well I suppose it's a good thing they never went that far down the aisle before everything began to blow up in their faces. Sad, really. Even I wasn't prepared for that big of a letdown.

How did I fall into that picture?

I know you're interested, even when you purse those lips and start shaking your head to indicate that you could care less. Despite the dirty looks you sneak in every time you think I'm not looking, I know you're just as curious as everyone else is... over what happened and why it did. Don't think I didn't notice those looks. You're obviously dying to know just how I single-handedly managed to wreck the lives of one of your most treasured friends when really I'm the one wondering the same thing. But I can't say sorry—because I did nothing worth apologizing over—and I won't be eating any humble pie. That ran out a long time ago, and in my opinion you're in need of a slice yourself.

Alright, so you made this journey back to Fuuka on some wild goose-chase to find your old friend and perhaps try to set things "right." But I'm telling you right now, that's not going to happen. You can fuss and threaten all you like, but it's not going to happen. And I'll tell you why.

I, Yuuki Nao, had fallen in love with the wrong person.

I'll even admit that I wasn't even intending on falling in love with her. I believe what I was trying to achieve was quite the opposite effect but hey, I'm not going to complain at the surprise factor. I mean, did you see that coming? No, no you didn't, don't lie to my face like that. You're not even good at it in the first place so don't even bother trying. It'll take more than two years of not seeing you to make me misread all the cues.

But I can tell you this before I give up the information you so desperately crave. I'm still in love with her, and that's all that matters. If she loves me back, then I'm smart and happy. If not, I can take 1 out of 2 for the sake of preserving my own well-being.

So ask me, if you dare.

* * *

_Mai set down her tea cup with a terse frown on her face. In the dim light of the sun spilling through partially-drawn curtains she could still make out the impassively straight line of Nao's lips even after she took a sip from her own glass of cola. The ice in the glass slowly floated back up to rest against the surface of the bubbling beverage, and Mai watched it for a few more seconds before flicking her gaze back to rest upon calculating green eyes._

_"Alright then," Mai said after the silence dispersed. "Then tell me. How did this happen?"_

_"I'm pretty sure you can answer that question, Tokiha," Nao replied with a slight grin. "It's your beginning too, after all."_

_Mai gave a small shrug of defeat and mildly sighed._

_It was going to be a long day._

* * *

AN: Here you have the first installment. I'm not sure on the updating schedule on this one, so it may be a bit sporadic at first.

Cheers!


	2. One Week: Coffee Break

Good Evening, Author here.

I haven't forgotten about this story, but I do apologise for the tardiness of this update. I hope that you readers enjoy it. Again, the point of view switches from present-day third-person in italics, and first-person recollection in normal.

Mai-hime and related belong to Sunrise

* * *

**Act I: One Week**

**1: Coffee Break  
**

"_How did we get here?"_

_A faint ruffle of sheets, a slight exhalation of breath. Silence. Lime-green eyes poked out from beneath red tresses, bleary at first from drowsiness but soon turning alert after a few blinks. She pursed her lips and thought about the question. After a moment, answering the question ceased in favor of wondering if the question was a rhetorical one. She decided to take a chance._

"_What do you mean?"_

_Those captivating blood-red eyes blinked from beneath chestnut-brown bangs._

"_These two broken people... How did we manage to find each other?"_

_It was an even more confusing question, but somehow she felt the answer coming to her easily this time around._

"_You said so yourself. We're broken up inside. Seems like it was only a matter of time before our pieces began to fit together."_

_She gave herself a small nod in satisfaction of answering the question in such a matter-of-fact manner. Those crimson eyes positively glowed in response. But she turned away then, and masked the sudden switch with a shake of her head and some muttering about getting ready for the day. _

_She walked to the bathroom and stared at her reflection. _

_She looked..._

_Exhausted._

_Nao shook her head once more and curled her hands into fists. No. She couldn't afford to look tired. Not in front of her. With shaky hands she splashed some water on her face. That mutinous glow of green eyes sickened her as she stared at her reflection once more. She turned back and faced the bedroom. These mornings carried a soft sense of silence that neither wanted to break, but both could feel the words starting to tear through their stubborn lips. Today was Nao's day to break first._

"_Mai came by the other day."_

"_Ara? That is a name I haven't heard in a long time." Another pause. "What did the two of you talk about?"_

"_... How did you know we spoke?"_

_Then came laughter and Nao felt herself smile._

"_Yuuki-han, the tea pot was left by the sink last night. You abhor tea."_

"_Ah. Well if you're such a detective then what did we talk about?"_

_Shizuru allowed herself another small laugh before she swung her legs over to the edge of the bed. She sat there for a moment, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath._

"_Of times long ago, I suppose. Of summer trees and closeted skeletons."_

"_Poetic. You have a way with words, Fujino."_

_Shizuru offered no reply as she stood and walked over to the bathroom, but Nao was already done. She nimbly stepped out of the way and walked over to the kitchen. She poured out the water for the coffee pot and counted down the hours._

"_Another day, another story..."_

* * *

Now my part of this story begins during my last week of high school, two years after your graduation. Normally I spent more hours outside of campus than inside, but I managed to scrape decent enough grades to get into a decent college. So when I received a message to meet up at a coffee house during the middle of 4th hour, I decided that History was the less entertaining choice and I skipped my way out of campus.

By coffee house I'm going to assume she meant "a dump" because the Mosaic was anything but a decent coffee house. But hey, I was going to be treated to some coffee and maybe even something entertaining.

And there she was, all dressed up in those biking leathers and with her long hair up in a hassle-free ponytail. With that killer green gaze and the faint frown on her lips it wasn't hard to figure out that half the establishment was already wanting to get in her pants—if they could stand being the receiving end of her famous uppercut first. I merely grinned and sighed as she noticed me and waved me over with an impatient twitch of her hand. Her other hand was already on the table with a finger tapping a lively little rhythm on the surface.

"Hurry up," she growled, and I complied by slowing to a crawl that had her nearly drilling a hole through the table.

When I finally did reach the lovely booth, Kuga was far from amused. She took up her coffee cup and gave it a disapproving sniff before taking a sip. Maybe living with Fujino all these years had finally turned her off from her usual manner of absorbing caffeine. Whatever, more coffee for me. I took up another cup and amused myself by tapping the end of the salt shaker on the table on top of sugar packets. When I finally opened the sugar packets a fine mist of sugar descended upon my coffee like snow onto tar. The coffee still tasted like absolute crap but I elected not to complain for now. Several more sugar packets and a good dollop of cream would fix that. It looked like Kuga was three steps away from blowing a gasket and I wanted to know why before that happened.

"So I was thinking—"

"That's a dangerous hobby to pick up, Kuga."

Her glare silenced me but I couldn't help the grin from forming. She shook her head.

"Now I don't even know why I'm asking this out of you, of all people..."

She rubbed the bridge of her nose and took another sip of coffee before setting the cup aside. I finished my sugar concoction and gleefully took another sip, this time tasting nothing but cream and sugar.

"Then go on. I want to know why you called me out of class today. Obviously it's not to take me out on a date. If it is I'd seriously have to feel bad for Fujino."

She paused, then, and it was as if someone had flipped a switch off beneath her eyes. It wasn't a vacant look of stupidity that I could take advantage of. This empty look was almost haunting, especially when she failed to snap a reply to my demand.

"... Are you having relationship troubles, Kuga?" I asked after that awkward silence.

"What?" She seemingly shook herself out of it. "No! No it's not that. It's..."

Then the pause came again, and this time I shook my head. Okay, it was time for damage control. I was never all that good at coaxing an answer out of people—a more direct approach would be needed.

"Now Kuga, we all know that successful relationships are built on communication. I'm not sure if Fujino understands your levels of grunting even after all these years so you might have to rely on spoken words, as burdensome as you think they are."

Now Kuga let loose a tired breath and I paused to let my scathing remark sink in. No fight today. That was something to take note of.

"I'm tired, Nao."

"Okay, so you're tired. Go take a nap."

Now her eyebrows knit together and she offered me another choice glare, the shut-up-with-the-sarcasm look.

"Not that kind of tired."

I took another sip of coffee and pretended that studying my nails was an incredibly important task right at this moment. Still, a sort of uneasy feeling had begun to creep into my stomach when I thought about her choice of words. Tired... Tired. She looked positively exhausted, now that I think back on it.

"Kuga, you look like shit."

She snorted and tapped her fingertips against the cheap table.

"Your eloquence floors me."

I chose to ignore that.

"So take a vacation. Hell, go pick up your girl and get out of the country for a few weeks. I'm sure she has enough money to fund a lifelong vacation in the south Pacific if you'd like."

"A vacation..."

The idea seemed to have merit, but she shook her head after a long pause and I rolled my eyes in response. My sugar concoction was already gone and I desperately needed another dose to get me through this sluggish afternoon. Talking to Kuga tended to trigger my sleep-response on the best days.

"What is it?" I asked in a disinterested manner while tapping the sugar packet against the table.

"Half the time... I don't know what I'm supposed to feel. The rest of the time I just can't stand to be around anyone anymore... like I've lost my way or something." She gave a small shrug. "I don't know. But I can't stay here. I need to get out."

"Then go, already. Go take Fujino out to the beach or whatever it is that couples do."

"Yeah... I need to leave."

"Which is why I said—"

Kuga chose this moment to put up a hand in some impatient sort of wave. She watched me tear off the top of the paper before she dropped the first bomb in what would be known from then on as a blitzkrieg.

"A vacation would sound nice. But not together."

I paused in mid-stir, the now-empty sugar packet still in my hand. My fingers grew lax and the paper floated away to a sad little heap on the table. She seemed to take this as an opportunity to continue, which I most certainly did not want her to do.

"That's why I've asked you to come here." Her words were decisive yet clipped. "I need you to watch over her while I'm gone."

"Wh-What?"

Kuga again chose to turn the light switch off in her head while I smacked my hands beside the coffee cup.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

She gave me another glare and I fell silent, but not before giving her a mutinous glare of my own. I decided I had made enough noise to attract several customers' attention so I sneered at them before primly folding my hands on my lap in some attempt to look like I was alright.

"Are you bailing out, Kuga?" I asked after a moment.

"I don't even know. I just... I need some time away." Now Kuga had that light back in her eyes, but it was dimmed somehow. "I need to clear my head a little, make sure what I'm doing is best for me."

I paused for all of two seconds before I slammed my spoon down on the table.

"What's best for you? Kuga, you've only got like the most beautiful girl in Fuuka who'd do anything for you. It's almost sickening how well the two of you get along, and now you're thinking about leaving her to go on some vacation by yourself?"

Kuga remained curiously silent on that and I felt myself wanting to knock her silly with my coffee cup. Thankfully for the establishment she decided to answer.

"It's not that." Kuga pursed her lips. "I was right, you wouldn't understand what I'm trying to tell you. But it doesn't really matter."

She paused once more, but this time a spark had arrived to her once more in the form of an idea. Did I mention that thinking was a dangerous hobby of hers?

"Alright. You don't think I should take a break."

I nodded along. I wasn't really sure what was going on in her fool head but I could never turn down a chance to prove her wrong. This situation in particular screamed at me to do something.

"Yeah, you got that right."

"... Alright."

She relaxed and hid a short cough behind a gloved hand. She picked up a napkin and ran it across her lips before crumpling it into a little ball and setting it beside her cup.

"When I'm gone... I want you to watch over her."

She had said this before but now it hit me. I fumbled with the spoon but managed not to smack it into my cup or cause any sort of embarrassing accident to occur, but I was still at a loss of words. Her lips twitched at my reaction and she leaned into her hand, resting her chin against it.

"Me?"

She nodded and I pursed my lips this time around.

"I'm pretty sure you can think of someone else." I thought for a moment. "What about Mai? I mean she has her own budding brothel going on with Minagi, her pretty-boy brother, and that Tate."

"Mai?" She shook her head. "No. I've bothered Mai enough by having her put up with me during our years in school. Besides, I'm sure you'll do well."

"Now what makes you say that?" I was beginning to feel something other than intense confusion and it wasn't long to figure out that it was anger. "Don't assume that I'll be doing well in _anything_ involving that Fujino."

"Hey. I'm asking you to watch her, not take her hand in marriage or something."

Kuga's words were ridiculous and I very much wanted to laugh, but something cold seized me and I stopped. She noticed my pause and frowned slightly in confusion, but I merely traced the rim of the coffee cup in my hands and looked down at the brown slosh of liquid still in there.

"... What if you don't come back?" I asked finally.

"If I don't come back..." She leaned back and sighed. "Never say never, right? This is why I'm asking you, not Mai. You understand, at least... that there are other options that people take."

"... I guess." I shifted uncomfortably. "But... But I'm not doing this for free, you know."

"Ah, I got that."

Now she reached into the pocket of her jacket and extracted a slightly-crumpled box of cigarettes and a small silver lighter. She flicked the cigarette lighter and carefully set the end of the cigarette on fire as it bobbed from her lips. After taking what seemed to be a long drag she exhaled through the side of her mouth and tapped the cigarettes on the white ash-tray that looked like it had seen better days. She allowed herself another drag, this time a short puff that held her over as she mulled over what to say next.

"Well I suppose I can't let you take this on without some sort of incentive."

Thirty minutes later, Fujino Shizuru was mine to watch over for the price of one brand new cell phone. It was a lovely model with a state-of-the-art camera—something that's always important when one is hunting down unsavory criminals in the dead of night. Even as I pocketed the phone and followed the biker down the road to her waiting steed, I wondered what I had just gotten myself into. But then I shrugged and scoffed. This was going to be easy. All I had to do was convince Kuga to abandon her silly plans and make her see that no matter what, Fujino was always going to be the better option to take. I could care less about the couple's well-being, but if it meant getting one up from Kuga then I was willing to try anything.

"But see here, Kuga. It'd probably take less than a week for you to go running back to Fujino's arms like the lost mutt you are."

Kuga chose this moment to look up at the cloudless sky. Her keys were in her hands and she looked as if she was going to fly away to a place none of us could follow.

"You really think so? I guess that's your opinion, then."

She looked at me once more and I saw a strange light glistening through her eyes.

"You're thinking about this as if time stands still, idiot. Think about that."

Kuga then threw one leg over her motorcycle and started the ignition. The bike roared in response and she turned to head to look at me before she flipped the visor down on her helmet. As she peeled out I stared down at my cell phone, my salary for the job at hand.

Forget this.

That dumb ass Kuga probably had too much mayo in her system. Everyone knew that too much of something caused a person not to think very clearly, and that's probably what happened to her. One ride around the block in her crotch rocket would fix that inconvenience and she'd go back to her lesbian Satan in disguise and do whatever it was that they did. And, after all was said and done and that oblivious couple finally cemented their relationship for good, I would take the credit and relish in my long-deserved "I told you so."

I felt sick to the stomach.

* * *

"_So... just like that you took over for her?" Mai asked when Nao stood to put more ice cubes in her glass._

"_Yeah. Just like that." She came back with a plastic bottle half-filled with cola. "I'm sure there were __other things working in the background, but I wouldn't know. You're only getting my side of the story after all."_

_Mai nodded and held out an empty glass to receive some of the cola. She took a sip and scrunched her nose up at the carbonation that tickled her face. Nao waited a moment before taking a drink from her own glass. She screwed the cap back on the bottle and set it on the table. Mai looked up to see Nao studying her quietly, through narrowed eyes._

"_But you knew. You knew from the beginning, didn't you?"_

_Mai sighed._

"_I didn't know that far back. But yes... I did know before most did."_

_She had expected a scathing remark, but surprisingly Nao took a sip of cola and set the glass down, wrapping her fingers around it. _

"_What would you have done?" Mai asked as the moment passed._

"_Maybe the same thing. Maybe not. But that's not what we're talking about right now, is it?"_

* * *

Let me just say that anything had happened after this point wasn't meant to turn out how it did.

I hated Fujino Shizuru. Absolutely loathed her, but she had never done anything to earn this much hatred from me. No, the only reason why I hated her was because she was so awfully _fake_. Back then, I mean. Now I'm not even sure how to categorize her, but thank goodness it isn't the same as it was back then.

Fake. She carried a mirror in her pocket and flashed warm rays out to the adoring public without them knowing that she was merely reflecting the sun into their faces. Even if they did know, they wouldn't have cared, for it was Fujino Shizuru who was floating in and out of their lives and gracing them with her presence. It wasn't like she was required to sit in on council meetings, to brush up on her tea skills, or to wow the school's population with how gracefully she swung a deadly naginata around. But she did all these things with that refined grace that could never be bought with money. It formed from a fortunate birth and was cultivated carefully through an unrelenting childhood. If Fujino had told me back then that living her life was not exactly heaven I would have laughed in her face, but the years have taught me that laughing in people's faces isn't exactly the right way to go.

It was no secret that Fujino's interest was in the fairer sex—it was also the cause of some questionable incidents on campus involving wandering hands and those air-headed grins that she had perfected. But Fujino retained her grace during the inquisition that followed and even managed to pick up a harem of fan girls who aggressively stalked her around campus, recruiting underclassmen to do their bidding as they ran all over themselves to do Fujino's bidding. While they managed to make Fujino smile every once in a while, it always looked as if something was missing until Kuga came along. Fujino met Kuga shortly after Kuga transferred to Fuuka's middle school, but whatever public meetings they had were brief at best. It was only after Kuga went to high school and I was in my last year of middle school that they truly began to click together. At first Kuga was scared of this sudden change in relationship status, but it wasn't as if no one else saw that attraction between the two of them. Still, there wasn't much progress on Fujino's part until about the last semester in school.

Some called it an invasion of privacy. A few even went so far as to call it molestation, rape. Whatever it was, the two never spoke of it. But it freaked Kuga out enough to make her back away from Fujino.

Come to think of it, I never knew what happened.

I had a week minus yesterday, when Kuga sprung this on me. That would make it six days starting today. The premise itself was easy enough: try to convince Kuga that she was an idiot and to get back with Fujino before she goes insane. How to approach this was a different game altogether. Yelling and throwing things at Kuga wouldn't produce the intended result, so the only way to go would be to appeal to Fujino without letting it slip that the love of her life would be leaving her.

Fujino would be back from college soon, if she wasn't here already. At least I had some time, but it wasn't much. I didn't know a thing about her, other than the fact that she liked tea and she enjoyed making Kuga a blubbering wreck. She also liked to shove work on top of that unholy terror Suzushiro.

She made me a very nervous person. I was never nervous.

So when I finally made my way back to the dorm I shared with the sheer bundle of energy also known as Minagi Mikoto, I was so preoccupied with my thoughts that I failed to register the extra people in the living room. Mikoto was already there, perched on a couch and nuzzling what seemed to be two ginormous melon-shaped pillows. I blinked and realized that it was not a body pillow but in fact Tokiha Mai, but it was easy to make that mistake. I stopped paying attention to them as my eyes locked onto the other occupant of my dorm room.

"It's been a long time, Yuuki-han."

She had lost some of the baby fat in her face, making her cheeks much more refined. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun but it was probably at the same length that I had remembered when she let her hair down. She was dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt with what looked to be a light jacket folded up on the seat where she was sitting before she stood to greet me. Her eyes were still that same crimson, but could that have changed as well? No, but something was different, a little darker underneath what looked like a complacent stare. That something sank deeper into the abyss and I blinked before forcing the words out of my lips.

"It's been a while, Fujino."

When did my voice sound that dark? As a testament to her fine breeding the Kaichou did not flinch. I was dimly aware of Mai and Mikoto watching us, but I paid them no heed as I continued to stare into those quiet eyes. She smiled thinly and bowed her head in a mild gesture of compliance.

"Perhaps I should get going?" she asked softly.

That broke the spell that held my eyes to hers and I looked away, narrowing my eyes as I did so.

"What? You can't do that!"

I turned and looked at Mikoto, who was now up with a huge frown on her face.

"You have to watch the match today, Kaichou," she continued. "Ani-ue and you promised!"

There was no further argument when Mikoto got like that. She ran off to pick up her gear bag, leaving the two of us in the room while she skipped off with Mai in tow. I turned and looked at Fujino, taking in her empty expression before I sighed and shook my head.

"Well... are you coming or not?"

* * *

"_I remember that day," Mai muttered as the evening sunlight began to fade._

_Nao looked up from rinsing the cups free of soap suds. She set them on the dish rack to dry and turned around, leaning against the counter top of the sink to face the older girl. Mai remained thoughtfully quiet before she looked over at Nao._

"_Did you realize it then?" she asked._

"_No." Nao leaned her head back and watched the ceiling for a moment. "But I did realize one thing back then."_

"_What was that?"_

_Nao's smile was curiously empty as she stared at Mai._

"_It was the beginning of the end, and none of us could have stopped it from happening."_

* * *

AN:

People can be notoriously complex and simple at the same time. Trying to capture this in writing is proving to be a difficult task.

I will try to have this updated in a timely manner, haha. Do let me know what you think.

Cheers!


	3. One Week: Everyday is Saturday Night

Good evening, Author here.

This update is out a bit sooner because I will be taking a short trip over the weekend and will probably not be around the computer. That said I decided to release this earlier than planned. Please enjoy!

Mai-hime belongs to Sunrise

* * *

**Part 2 - Everyday is Saturday Night**

Go through the motions. Go through the motions, and maybe you'll survive intact.

My week was almost over, but that wasn't on my mind in the least. Graduation had just occurred, and I was a free woman out in a free world. The world was beginning to turn for me now, and it turned me from the relative comforts of Fuuka straight to a ferry back to Tokyo and the steel bars of a jail cell.

Jail? Yeah. I know. It was only a matter of time for someone like me. I wasn't sure when I turned so sloppy during my hobby, but I knew something had bothered me enough to make me lose my focus on my target. He managed to slip away but not before I found him heading for the ferry, possibly back to where he lived. Creepy, but I followed him. I wasn't about to let another slimeball like him get away with his lecherous behavior. What I didn't count on, however, was the fact that this guy turned out to be a plainclothes cop. So in to the clink I went, and in there I fumed for about twenty hours.

A nightstick smacked across the bars, jarring me from my thoughts. I looked up and leered at the police officer who was in charge of this small outpost, and he returned my look with one of his own before he studied the papers in his hands.

"Yuuki Nao?"

"Yeah that's me," I snapped. "What do you want?"

The officer blinked and his lips twitched.

"If it were up to me you'd be spending more than the day in this cell, miss." He sighed, then, and stuck his nightstick back into his belt. "But someone's here to pick you up."

It was about time. I placed that call back to Fuuka about four hours ago, what had taken them so long? Come to think of it I probably would have spent even more time in this cell if I wasn't so scared of this reality. Fresh out of high school and already at the worst possible joint to be in—I was doing extremely well in proving everyone right about me. But I didn't care about that right now as the door opened and I automatically stood up to follow the officer out. He moved his head from side to side and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Considering the officer isn't going to press charges over you flipping out and breaking his nose, I'd say you've caught an extremely lucky break," he droned on in a monotone.

"What the hell? You mean to tell me that the fact this man violated his authority on a citizen such as myself doesn't mean anything to you?!"

He barely flinched even though I was easily close enough to burst his eardrums with my screech. He stopped and looked at me coolly.

"Would you like to cool down a little more in that cell, miss?"

I didn't answer him as I looked up when the doors opened, revealing my salvation.

My heart plummeted.

"... Fujino?"

She offered no greeting. Instead she looked over at the forms the officer handed her before nodding and signing the lines on the bottom. The officer's words turned to mush but it didn't matter, I was finally free. I just wasn't sure if I particularly wanted to be free at the moment. Fujino gave me a curious look before shrugging and walking out of the police station. She didn't look behind her to make sure I followed, instead picking up a key ring from her purse. A car blinked to life with a cheerful chirp, a black coupe with tinted windows. She motioned for me to get in and I finally complied, opening the door to the faint smell of leather. I sank into the seats with a quiet sigh and waited as she entered the driver's side. I didn't know too much about cars back then, but I eyed the shift knob with a raised eyebrow. No one told me that Fujino could drive a car much less control this sleek monster that roared to life with a flick of the keys.

"... Why'd you pick me up?" I asked after we were safely away from that jail.

"I was the only one with a car and enough money to take the ferry."

I scrunched my nose.

"That sounds like bullshit. Pretty boy Kanzaki has a car too, and the ferry toll isn't that expensive."

Fujino raised a delicate eyebrow and tapped the shift knob with slender fingers before she eased the car into a higher gear. The highway was fast approaching.

"Reito-han took the train from Tokyo to the ferries. I was the only one on hand with enough for three tickets. Therefore, my point stands."

For some reason I wanted to hear something other than the clipped reasons, even though Fujino had nothing more to offer. I sighed and rested my forehead against the window, forcing myself to watch the markers race past. I wondered if her eyes shifted from watching the road to watching me, but I'd be flattering myself if I said that was the case.

"What happened?" she asked, and I buckled.

"Nothing," I said hoarsely. "Even if I did tell you, you wouldn't believe me."

Fujino offered no reply.

"Reality sucks, doesn't it?" I asked after the silence caused my ears to start ringing.

"... You get used to it, I suppose."

"Do you? Or are you just telling yourself that to keep from looking around and seeing that you can't get used to it?"

I lifted my head from the window and leaned back against the head rest. Out the corner of my eye I could seen the subtle shift of emotion from calm to unsure but something clicked and Fujino tilted her head slightly.

I finally smiled.

"You know," I began slowly. "You know, you never answer a question directly about yourself. So play along. Answer my question."

"It would be somewhat vain of me to do that," Fujino replied, but she let herself have a small grin. "But if it satisfies Yuuki-han's curiosity I suppose I cannot refuse."

She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel.

"There are certain finalities in this world, so no matter how much reality might be disagreeable, there is no other choice but to work with it."

"But don't you ever get sick of that?" I countered swiftly. "It must totally blow, trying to be all self-sacrificial and willing to lay yourself down like that."

"I try not to be too wrapped up in crying over my misery," Fujino deadpanned. She afforded me a short look before focusing back on the road. "Yuuki-han, you seem oddly curious about how I react to things. Is something wrong?"

Immediately I was startled out of my lull. I wasn't being very careful again, and Fujino was picking up a lot faster than I had expected. I crossed my arms and snorted.

"Don't give yourself so much credit," I replied stiffly. "Not everyone can go through life as effortlessly as you can, Fujino."

Fujino elected to turn her attention fully towards the road until the docks were in view. This took about a half-hour, a half-hour of intense silence that began to eat away at my patience. My mouth was shut on principle, however, and I merely shook my head and waited it out. Fujino found the docks and paid for the tickets before carefully parking her car into the ferry. I walked out of the car and took a brooding post near the front of the rickety boat, taking in a whiff of sea salt and frowning immediately. I couldn't afford to make a mistake. I needed those two to get back together, so everything could be hunky-dory and I could be left alone to live my life any way I pleased. I repeated this desire so many times in my head that I almost failed to notice that Fujino was standing beside me until she sighed.

"This journey will last for a while, but you already know that," she said quietly. She never took her eyes off the rolling waves. "You seem to have started out the rest of your life with a huge bang, Yuuki-han."

I turned around and glared at nothing in particular.

"He was the one abusing his power and trying to wheedle me into giving myself up to him. He was the one who almost molested me... I had to teach that motherfucker a lesson."

"And you decided that hopping a boat to chase after him and beating him was the correct way of doing it?" By now Fujino had pinned me under her gaze. "Honestly... there are other means aside from violence."

"You don't care about that, Fujino." My lips were moving before my brain could stop. "You don't care about anything. You don't care about anyone but that idiot Kuga, so don't start with me."

Fujino had the gall to shrug and return to her ocean-watching. I roughly grabbed at her arm to turn her around, but at the same time her hand clapped over my wrist and she grabbed onto it with a strength that I couldn't have guessed could have come from her. But I was too angry to consider it now, and I snatched my hand away from her hold so I could grab at her shirt. My other hand was already reared back and for a tense second we stared at each other. Still, those doll-like features were mysteriously complacent even as it was apparent that at any second I could smash my fist into her porcelain face.

"Are you going to hit me, Yuuki-han?"

Those words were said in a soft whisper and I clenched my jaw. My fist came crashing down wildly, catching her in the cheek. She took this blow wordlessly and caught my fist before I could double over or try to hit her again.

"... Are you done?"

"No. No I'm not done."

I tried to wrestle myself free but she stood still in her contemplative silence.

"... I'm too damn tired."

"Ara... the peerless comforts of that jail seems to have you a bit worn out."

I wanted to hit her badly. Instead something strange noise tore itself from my throat and I knocked my forehead heavily into her, resting my head right under her chin as my forehead collided into the spot before her collar bone. She waited for a few seconds before her arms wrapped around me, which I assumed was more of a way to keep me from hitting her.

"Why did _you_ have to get me," I mumbled.

"I thought Yuuki-han did not need to be 'taught a lesson' under those circumstances." She let loose a small hum. "So I went to get you."

A few minutes passed with only the clouds swirling above us.

"Were you scared?"

I closed my eyes at the sound of her voice and sighed.

"... Yeah."

"Sometimes... I forget that despite how grown up we try to act around each other, we are still rather young." Her breaths fell to the top of my head in a deep, steady rhythm. "Wouldn't you agree?"

I failed to answer, but I don't think she was looking for one at the time. I felt myself moving towards the car and the sprinkling rain that touched my cheeks signaled the coming of a storm. By the time we made it back to the car I merely sat down and closed my eyes, letting the sound of the rain erase the burning confusion that was blooming in my head.

I woke up as the sun was shining and the ferry was still churning along. My neck was tight but a few minutes spent stretching seemed to work it out just fine. With a groan I rubbed my shoulders and looked over at the driver's side. Fujino looked as if she hadn't slept in days even though she was snoozing right now. A purple blossom was on her cheek that matched the raw redness of my knuckles, which I absently rubbed as I studied my handiwork. Fujino shifted and opened her eyes a crack before rubbing at them, coaxing herself awake. For some reason I wanted to tell her to go back to sleep, even for a few more minutes, but the ferry had already blared its horn.

"I hope... that you aren't going to continue your beating fit?" Fujino asked wearily.

I managed to shrug.

"I think I slept it out."

"That's a relief."

Fujino turned her brooding gaze ahead and I looked forward as well.

Land was in sight.

* * *

_The ensuing silence was deafening. Mai swallowed uneasily and waited before she turned around._

"_... When does Kaichou come back during the day?" she asked finally._

"_Not during the day," Nao replied easily. "I typically have the house to myself until she comes back after dinner. It's just the weird hours that she works at the office."_

_Mai frowned and looked down at her tea cup._

"_And... she already knows what I'm telling you now. It wouldn't make sense for her to hear about it again and again."_

"_Is it painful, for her?" Mai asked softly._

_Nao pursed her lips and thought about it before offering an empathetic shrug._

"_She says it isn't."_

_Mai nodded to herself when Nao left it at that._

* * *

My celebrated return home was anything but. I kicked off my shoes and tossed my bag out to a corner of the dark dorm room where it seemed a party had exploded some time ago. Streamers and soiled plates decorated the sink along with a few not-so-hidden bottles of beer. A half-eaten strawberry shortcake graced the table along with two plates and a set of clean cups. My mouth was watering, but I merely looked at the cake while Fujino strolled into the room.

"Where is everyone?" I asked in the darkness that was soon extinguished by the flick of a light switch.

"Mai-han had mentioned karaoke tonight after a short party," Fujino answered. "I told them to go on and not wait for tonight's ferry."

I made a face.

"Good thinking." I looked over at the plates before refocusing on the cake. "Fujino, have some cake and juice with me."

She nodded in response and took the second plate while I fished for a cutting knife in the disorganized drawers. A clean one was already out at the edge of the sink and I picked it up before returning to the table. The bottle of juice left on the table had enough for two servings, so I topped off the glasses and tossed the empty bottle over towards the overflowing trashcan.

"Seems like the party really went down in here," I remarked dryly as I found another bottle of beer under the table.

"You didn't miss out on too much," Fujino replied as she took a bite of cake.

I took a look around and gave her a look that clearly told her she needed to get her eyes checked.

"Are you kidding me, it looks like they bought out the liquor store and brought it here!"

"Midori-sensei stopped by shortly after we learned of your... incarceration."

Damn that Fujino's calm voice. It almost masked the sardonic tone.

"... I guess that explains it." I stabbed at my cake. "But really, you didn't get to have a few drinks here and there?"

Now it was Fujino's turn to snort in a most un-Kaichou-like manner.

"Yuuki-han... did we not spend quality time on that ferry together?" At my groan she continued. "And do you mean to tell me that such a thing is possible under the presence of one Tokiha Mai—"

The door opened with such a deafening bang that both of us jumped. I nearly choked on the damn cake and began to cough great whooping coughs, which was matched by Fujino nearly spitting out her drink in a mixture of shock and, damn her, amusement at my plight. Before I could yell at her I was suddenly thumped on the back with such force that whatever the hell I was choking on now threatened to explode out of my mouth. I clapped my hands in front of my mouth and picked up the strong smell of alcohol when I breathed in.

"Heeeeyyyy Naoooo! Congrats on surviving high school!"

I groaned as Midori made herself at home by draping herself on top of me. Fujino studied this spectacle with mild amusement that quickly turned to acute anxiety when Midori fixed her bleary gaze on her.

"Ohhh! The mighty Kaichou has graced us with her presence!!"

Fujino was saved when pretty boy Kanzaki suddenly appeared behind Midori and hefted her up to a standing position. I wondered just what he was doing there until I realized that he had probably stopped by on behalf of his sister. Midori was then frog-marched over to the couch while Kanzaki started to spew out a string of apologies that seemed to taper off to nonsensical mumbling, causing the two of us to stare at the two of them. Also gracing us with her presence was a sober and annoyed Kuga.

Here we go.

"Really, how the hell did she get back to Fuuka in time for graduation anyway?" Kuga grumbled as she walked in.

"I just can't believe we spent six hours at the karaoke bar," Kanzaki mumbled to himself while his sister Mikoto managed not to trip over anyone's shoes as she walked in.

"What?! Holy crap time goes by when you're drunk!" Midori yelled in bewilderment. Then she paused. "Drunk? Who's drunk? We haven't run out of beer yet!"

Somehow she managed to procure two bottles of beer, one for each hand like the chugging monster she was. So much for peace and quiet. Kuga parked herself down near the table and stared at it in lieu of nothing better to do in the rapidly deteriorating atmosphere. Midori was already out pouring beer for both Kanzaki and Fujino, who in turn accepted the glasses and clinked them together. Mikoto was quickly brought into their fold, leaving me with Ms Excitement over at the corner.

"Hey, mutt."

She at least looked up.

"I know the table is amazing and all but do you mind?" I gestured towards the growing crowd on the couch. "There's a celebration going on in my honor here so at least act like you belong."

"For someone with a permanent dent on their criminal record you sound awfully cheerful," Kuga replied as she took an offered glass of beer and chugged it.

I watched it get refilled and while her fingers curled around the glass she didn't pick it up again.

"Haha! Shows how much you know." I took another bite of cake before grabbing Fujino's plate and shoving it in front of Kuga. "Eat the damn cake and have more beer, your melancholy is making me sick."

"Ohhh! Did Kaichou get into a fight while making her way back with our little delinquent?" Midori asked, suddenly causing all eyes to focus on Fujino.

I could hear the sudden shift of breath that Kuga tried to hide when she inhaled sharply. I cringed. But Fujino shook her head and broke into one of her trademark smiles.

"Oh, it's nothing really." Then she grinned. "You should have seen the other guy."

I let go of the breath I wasn't aware I was holding onto while the rest of the room seemed to erupt in appreciative laughter. I turned and looked at my cake for one hard moment and prayed to whoever was listening that this night would be an uneventful one.

"I bet you Kaichou over here could out-drink anyone in this apartment!" Midori announced with as much seriousness as she could muster.

So much for that wish.

"No way!" Mikoto declared before realizing just who she was disagreeing about. "No offense, Kaichou."

"Ara, none taken," Fujino said with another little laugh.

"Pssh, I soo bet you that Kaichou could out-drink anyone here right here, right now," Midori continued after taking a swig of beer. She leaned over Kuga and rested her chin on the other girl's head. "What do you say, Shizuru-chan? Are you a bad enough Kaichou to drink someone under the table?"

The smile on Fujino's lips was simply infectious—everyone in the room who was inebriated mirrored it within two seconds.

"If you can find me someone worthy enough to out-drink, sensei."

Midoria smacked Kuga's head with a gleeful hoot.

"That settles it! Minagi, you're up!!"

"Which one?" pretty boy and his sister asked in unison.

"The legal one!" Midori replied with an exaggerated hiss. "We need to... we need to set a good example for the children here!" She brandished a bill and waved it towards our two contestants. "Now go buy a bottle of something worth having a contest over!"

At this moment, I found myself at a fork on the road. There were two definite paths. I could intervene and save the Kaichou some grace before she made a right fool of herself. Or, I could just let the whole thing play out and see if the whole "I am so drunk why don't you help me, let's go have some make-up sex and forget why we are so angst-ridden" scenario would work. I knew what I was going to choose right then and there, especially when it looked like Kuga wanted to bolt. At this point Fujino took the bill and stood up. There was no way the Kaichou was going to back down from a challenge. In this way, our game was set. She returned several minutes later with a bottle of 100-proof vodka, eliciting a round of appreciative whistles from our drunken reveler. Kanzaki smirked and I wasn't too sure what to think of that. Midori was hustling Mikoto for bets and the girl finally relented, slapping down a bill in favor of her brother as the shortcake was cleared away and two shot glasses were mysteriously produced out of thin air.

I always assumed vodka would be like rinsing one's mouth with rubbing alcohol. It smelled like it, at least. Kanzaki's eyes shut immediately and he violently coughed after the first shot while Fujino took it without a hitch.

"That... was unexpected," he managed to wheeze as peals of laughter erupted at his expense.

The next shot went down more easily for him while the Kaichou smiled and raised the shot glass in a toast before knocking it back with even more conviction than her first. I rested my chin on my hand and watched with numb fascination as the two went at it through the off-key cheering and boisterous calls for more drinking. All of this was cut short when the challenger suddenly raised his hand. The room fell silent.

"I think... I think I'm gonna..."

His slurring ceased as his head came crashing down onto the table. Mikoto jumped over to shake him, and he turned his head and emitted such a loud snore that it broke the silence when Midori pointed and laughed at him. To make this a true victory Fujino slammed back the ninth shot just as quickly as she did her first. She pumped her fists up in the air and giggled uncontrollably to the raucous applause. Kuga, who had remained relatively silent, now pushed herself up to leave during Midori's boisterous shakeup for money. Automatically Fujino stood up, swayed, and began to make her way after the biker, which lead me to sigh.

Are you serious?

I shoved myself up and walked out the door, but stopped short as I heard the beginnings of a conversation occurring a floor below me.

"... I didn't think you'd drink so much, Shizuru."

A round of giggles broke out and I leaned my elbows against the railing.

"Natsuki should know that I can take care of myself."

"Right. You look like you're going to catch hell tomorrow morning."

"Is Natsuki worried about me? I'm sure that there's nothing to be worried about... I'm perfectly fine..."

A yelp.

"H-Hey! Hands! Watch the hands!"

"Oops. I tripped."

"The hell you did!" Kuga paused to take in a breath. "We're in a public place, you know."

"Ikezu, Natsuki. You never let me do anything anymore."

"That's not the point. And what the hell happened to your cheek anyway?"

"I tripped."

Fujino's voice was a little high-pitched and I could hear the growl that escaped Kuga's throat.

"Bullshit, you never trip. And you don't knock back nine shots in a row to beat that pretty-boy in a contest just because of peer pressure. What's wrong with you?"

I scoffed. Kuga was seriously missing out on what constituted as entertainment these days.

"Ara, we both saw that indeed, I did knock back nine in a row to beat Reito-han. So tripping would not be so out of the ordinary, would it?"

There was some rustling before Kuga let out a snarl.

"If it was that punk Nao I'm gonna—"

"Calm down." Fujino managed to hold in a hiccup. "If it was that punk Nao, you are going to calm down, my Natsuki."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Kuga thundered. "And don't protect her, either. If she hit you then let me know so I can go beat her ass—"

"Natsuki!"

Even I was surprised at the force behind her sharp tone. Despite the fact that throughout this conversation Fujino had never gone above a yell, the tone was still deeply cutting. Maybe the drinks were actually helping in this circumstance as Fujino suddenly stamped her foot on the ground.

"For once can't you let go of all that and just tell me what is the matter with you? You haven't spoken to me for _months_, Natsuki. And every time I try to talk to you, you're always off on some sort of meeting with people who I know you wouldn't care to visit under any normal circumstance! Just tell me what's wrong, for once... please, Natsuki."

My eyes lit up.

There was a defeated sigh.

"... Go to bed, Shizuru. And take some aspirin in the morning if you remember."

"... Natsuki?"

The words were whispered in a hushed tone of disbelief.

"Just... head back inside."

Then, silence.

I heard one pair of footsteps, then the turn of keys into a motorcycle. It roared to life before being guided slowly out of Fuuka's dorms. I threw my hands up in frustration.

"LAME."

I quickly went downstairs and greeted the silent Kaichou with an exaggerated wave.

"Well, that totally blew. Let's go back in, I hear Midori's got another challenge brewing."

That was a lie. The rest of the drunken party was already passed out. I marched Fujino up the stairs and into the dorms, where we sidestepped the snoozing drunks and walked into my room, which thankfully had been spared the utter mayhem. I reached around blindly until my fingers curled around a slim white bottle of pills. After some tapping I managed to extract two aspirins, which I promptly shoved into Fujino's limp hand. She dry-swallowed the pills and flopped onto the bed.

"I think... I think I want to throw up. I don't know why. I usually can drink more than this."

Some more garbled words tumbled out of her lips but I paid them little heed.

"Go to sleep, Fujino. And if you do feel like throwing up, the trashcan is right next to you."

With that I walked out of my room and spied the empty couch. Mikoto had probably shoved her brother into her room and Midori was probably out on another march around downtown. I sat down on the couch and tucked my knees up towards my chest.

What was going to happen now?

* * *

_Mai had left less than ten minutes ago when the door opened once more. Nao looked up and saw a familiar head of flaxen hair before she stood and walked over to the entryway. When Shizuru set her bag down she smiled at Nao._

"_I'm home."_

"_Welcome back."_

_A trip to the fridge brought out a bottle of beer and two glasses. Nao raised an eyebrow as Shizuru deftly swiped the magnetic bottle opener from the stainless steel door. _

"_Rough day at work?"_

"_That project refuses to be finished," Shizuru mumbled as she snapped the cap off the bottle. "For some reason the numbers aren't adding up correctly in the financial department so we keep getting our papers returned to us. Reito-han is still at the office, trying to finish up before his vacation starts."_

"_Vacation, huh. So they're going off to Okinawa after all?"_

_Shizuru poured the beer into the glasses and Nao sipped from the glass offered to her._

"_For two weeks. Why, are you going to miss your afternoon chats?"_

_Nao pursed her lips._

"_Not really. It's nearing the messy part of this whole exercise."_

_There was no answer to that, and when the bottle was finished Shizuru undid the top buttons of her shirt and rubbed her neck absently. Nao shook her head and suddenly went up to her tiptoes. The kiss was brief, but the effect was apparent as Shizuru's lips parted questioningly, as if to ask what possessed the younger girl to do it. Nao licked her lips and frowned. This was exhausting. The future was growing less and less certain. She wondered if she was going down the same slippery slope that her rival once tried to keep her ground on._

"_It's nothing."_

_Shizuru frowned, but said nothing._

* * *

AN: This is beginning to look like two stories in one. I'm not sure if I will continue it in this manner, but I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Cheers!


	4. One Week: Motorcycle Driveby

Hello everyone, author here.

It's been... a long time. And a lot of things have occurred since this last outing. Hopefully everything remains coherent.

Mai Hime and related belong to Sunrise

* * *

**Part 3: Motorcycle Drive-by on a Monday Afternoon**

_Nao paused as she looked up from the open anatomy book in front of her. It was a rather balmy day, strange for the time of year, and as the sun warmed her face she found herself unable to keep reading. She shrugged and closed the book, settling it next to a closed notebook. The loose papers in the notebook stuck out in odd angles that she chose to ignore for now._

_The door opened with a soft announcement of Mai's arrival, and Nao looked up from her book. Inwardly she cringed—if she had a tail it would have been wagging by now. But Mai was oblivious to Nao's conflicted self as she made herself at home near the kitchen, setting a bag on the table next to her._

"_I brought back a few things from Okinawa," Mai announced softly. "We thought it'd be a fun idea to bring back several shells too."_

_Nao raised an eyebrow._

"_Shells?"_

_Mai nodded and placed several white shells on the kitchen counter. Nao gave them a cursory look before tilting her head over towards the small display cabinet in the corner of the living room. In it was a small collection of similar white shells, all neatly arranged around a single framed photograph. Mai looked over as well and frowned slightly._

"_She still has that photo?"_

_Nao didn't trust herself to do anything but nod. Mai sighed._

"_It's killing you, a little bit, isn't it."_

_The younger of the two shook her head and walked over to her desk, sitting down at the chair that had just been occupied by her. Mai followed her and picked a spot on the bed beside the desk. They settled back into the routine that had been broken up by a week's worth of vacation with a small sense of resignation. They had started this unenviable trek through the past, and it was only fair to finish it._

_Nao took a deep breath and let it go in one long sigh._

* * *

Come to think of it, there's really nothing one can do about a love lost. It's not like a toy that can be fixed. Speaking of which there's an old model of a motorcycle sitting on my desk—something Kuga ended up leaving behind during what I could only guess was a mad scramble to pack and get the hell out of Fuuka. It's not one of those cheap plastic models, either. This thing was a roving beast of metal parts, lovingly crafted and painstakingly painted. It sits on my desk with its front wheel slightly tilted to the right, as if the miniature rider had simply left it only for a moment to go grab something to munch on or some smokes to indulge in. The motorcycle obediently sits, waiting for its master to go on rampant adventures once more. Except this time there is no adventure. Maybe I'm a bit melodramatic in describing a relationship in terms of a toy that seriously needs some dusting. The red paint is nearly pink, and the streaks are painfully noticeable as I draw a line from the fuel tank to the handlebars. However, it's now time to pick up where I left off.

Where was I? Oh yeah.

There is a huge blank between the events of that night and the week following it. But one thing was certain—Kuga had disappeared. Upped and left. Of course there was confusion followed by a bit of outrage on Suzushiro's part, but I would have been surprised if it was genuine outrage as opposed to just being angry over everything and nothing in particular. According to Kikukawa she had quite nearly managed to headbutt a hole through her bedroom window, which would have been pretty funny to say the least. We all needed a source of amusement back then no matter how over the top.

The hard goodbye came in the form of a letter: one page, handwritten in black ink. To be honest I was curious that Kuga even considered a letter, but the girl manages to surprise me every so often. The envelope had been delivered to Fujino's flat at precisely 3 in the afternoon on a rather pleasant day. Blue sky, puffy white clouds. Birds were chirping despite the fact that there was an absolute silence ruling over Fujino's humble abode at apartment 734.

Fujino looked up from the letter, which was now cradled loosely by unresponsive fingers. Her gaze was focused on what was directly in front of her, which was a small display cabinet beside the TV. In it was a tidy collection of various knick-knacks that Fujino had collected from various trips around Japan and even a few childhood trips abroad. There were sea shells from Okinawa neatly arranged around a sizeable conch shell from the Bahamas. I wondered once if she could still hear the ocean through it.

What stood in the middle of these displays was a small framed photograph of two individuals wearing Fuuka school uniforms. It was one of the few photographs where Kuga was smiling at the camera—trust me, this thing would have gotten a pretty penny if it was ever sold in the underground fangirl market. The two of them were seated on a picnic blanket near the trees that made up Fuuka's campus. It was the last photo Fujino had received before everyone went their separate ways after her graduation. Now she stared at it with empty eyes.

I stared at the photo as well. Kuga's smile looked alien to me, but I'm pretty sure that Fujino saw it enough to be accustomed to it. Of course the Kaichou looked flawless. I didn't trust myself to look at Fujino now as her hands slid down from her lap and the letter now rested on the cushion next to her. I had spent so many years cultivating this image that I had loved to hate. I wasn't too sure I would like this new, unnerving version of Fujino. I wondered if those scarlet eyes could get any darker. At this time the envelope, which had been on the cushion after being opened, now slid from the cushion and fell to the floor beside her feet. Brass had a distinctive noise whenever it hit wood. I winced and looked down; I couldn't help it. She didn't have to look at it. She couldn't look at it.

"Did you know?" Fujino asked me in a soft voice.

I sighed. It wouldn't do me any good to lie to her.

"A week ago, give or take some time."

Fujino looked like she was nodding but I wasn't too sure.

"I drove her away, didn't I? I got drunk and stupid and overstepped our boundaries."

I chose to remain silent. Fujino smiled a thin little smile that made me want to shake her until tears or candy fell out. I weighed my options accordingly and settled instead for balling up my hands into fists and standing there until I couldn't feel my nails digging into my skin anymore. Fujino then stood, but the movement was unlike anything I had seen from her—sluggish, unsure. I watched her for a moment before I realized that I wasn't focusing on her any longer. This was wrong. This was absolutely wrong. Where was the episode of awful bawling followed by ice cream and declarations that Kuga was a pig-headed doofus who would never amount to anything? I mean of course I'd be providing the latter point, but if anything I had at least expected to be treated to the rare spectacle of the beloved Kaichou completely losing over the one thing that couldn't want her back. I paused and waited for something unexpected to happen.

But Fujino quietly folded the letter and placed it back on the coffee table, followed by the envelope. Even the brass key was retrieved to be set on top of the letter. I glared at the careful collection as Fujino took a measured breath.

"Where are my manners?" It seemed like Fujino was asking herself more. "I'm sorry, Yuuki-han. I shouldn't have burdened you with this. Would you like some tea…"

She made to go to the kitchen to busy her hands when suddenly I turned. To this day her look of surprise has always given me a small sense of satisfaction. I had never been able to get her completely off-guard since then, when I grabbed onto her in an awkward embrace. I'm pretty sure that I got the procedure right. Wrap arms around someone and squeeze. But it felt all sorts of wrong and I nearly let go, but now wasn't the time to fall back on what was comfortable.

I'm sorry, Fujino.

Fujino clenched her jaw and choked back a sob, but it wrenched itself out of her throat so viciously that the strangled noise made me flinch. Her knees gave out and she took me down with her as she sank down, and the sudden movement cased me to feel her heart for the first time. The initial disquiet of a thundering heartbeat was offset by the disturbing revelation I had stumbled on.

I hated her, yes, but she was no lifeless husk. Beneath that storied reputation there was simply a girl who only had a few more years on me and some money, but there wasn't much else to talk about. Of course Fujino would have no clue how to deal with this sort of situation. Being Kaichou only gave her a primer on how to deal with wild fangirls and to keep the school's benefactors rolling in with the checks. There was never any manual printed on how to deal with having her entire life dangling in front of her, only to have it yanked away by something that no one could ever really prevent. Here was a girl who lived and breathed and laughed and cried just like everyone else.

People have described me as morally ambivalent and I'm highly inclined to agree. I did enjoy watching the suffering of those I disliked… I mean, who doesn't? I let go of Fujino and pushed her away to arm's length to study her for a moment. She had stopped crying audibly but her eyes failed to register anything. She had retreated to some point deep within herself that I was only too scared to digging into. So I held her face and roughly brushed away at the tears with my thumbs. In hindsight I probably should have been gentler, but for some reason knowing that I was the one tracing these red lines across her face made me… needed.

I was needed.

"Look at me," I said, and when those blank eyes finally locked onto mine I took in a deep breath.

Was there an easy way to go about this? Not really.

"There's nothing more you can do. The sooner you accept that, the easier it will be to live with it."

I stood, leaving Fujino on her hands and knees. I ignored the shaking shoulders as I shuffled in my pockets for a bit. A white handkerchief was pressed against lifeless hands. I couldn't stay here anymore.

I turned, and walked out.

What.

Did you expect me to stay?

I'm sorry, but who are you to dictate what I do. Your disapproving glance is borne from one of two things: compassion for something that was none of your business in the first place, or guilt from not staying behind yourself. Neither option sounds appealing now does it. But I'm getting ahead of myself here.

Just because I left doesn't mean I never came back. In an hour I had returned with confusion and adrenaline creating a rather awkward little mix of the jitters. The apartment was empty in terms of human presence aside from my own. I chest heaved and fatigue buried itself into my legs from running earlier. I spotted a tiny slid of paper wedged underneath a pair of brass keys. I guess it was the day's theme that all important messages would be carried out through letters. What an interesting concept.

_I cannot stay here in Fuuka, not right now. Please don't worry. You are free to use my apartment if you see fit, or sell it. In any case the movers will be here in three days. _

_Shizuru_

I turned the note over out of habit and found another message.

_You are absolutely right, you know. There is nothing more I can do._

I exhaled sharply and crumbled the note up into a ball.

* * *

"… _So that's how it happened."_

_Nao sighed and inclined her head slightly to the left. _

"_You can fill in the blanks from here, I bet."_

_Mai found herself nodding before she could stop herself, but it was too late to pretend to hide anything from this sordid tale._

"_She had packed everything the night before, and announced she was leaving in the morning. I had no idea why, at the time. But she had this look in her eye that I can still remember to this day."_

_Mai paused for a bit._

"_There was a cage, around her, and it was closing in on her."_

"_And she had to get out, before she was suffocated by it," Nao added._

_Mai nodded as Nao absently drummed her fingers against the desk._

"_To be honest… I don't think I would have minded getting suffocated by someone like Fujino."_

_Mai looked up with a raised eyebrow, but by this time Nao had turned her back on her so it was impossible to retain eye contact._

* * *

Days passed, followed by weeks and then months. The summer winds and searing heat were now buffeted by cooling temperatures and a crisp northern wind that promised snow. It was now autumn. The maple leaves turned rich colors—don't they remind you of something? I would surely scoff and walk on. Autumn found me wandering around the clubbing district of Tokyo in search of something minutely interesting to do. Life was uncommonly good for me during that period of time. Mom had been given a clean bill of health and moved back to Tokyo to stay with her sister, and naturally I came along. It was rather nice to go back to the main island sans handcuffs.

I was just spending another weekend out of University floating around the wash of colors and beats of the underground clubbing scene. Life was wonderful…

Of course. This story would have had an absolutely atrocious ending if it were to end here.

Those haunted crimson eyes were always somewhere, hidden deep within the clubs that blinded me with neon lights and thumped my head in with raw beats from the speakers surrounding me. Maybe I had even bumped into her somewhere along the lines, while taking a break to get drinks, while pulling a fast trip on someone to take their wallet for more drinks. To be fair I did keep a rather paranoid eye out for anything even when the color red was beginning to look so disheartening. Sometimes, when I was especially bitter, I berated myself. I found myself playing through possible scenarios. What if I had stayed with Fujino?

Then again sometimes I just kicked myself mentally until my thoughts traveled somewhere other than towards Fujino.

During this time I had actually created something of a working partnership with former Vice President Minagi Reito. Granted these conversations were brief at best and the man never ceased to weird me out with that smile of his, but I knew all too well that underneath his quiet exterior he was getting awfully worried over the erratic behavior of who I could consider was his best friend. Pretty-boy even confessed that he, the one who seemed to know more about Fujino than anyone else on board this crazy train, was clueless as to how to approach this delicate situation.

The use of the word "delicate" always made me snort. The only thing that's going to be delicate about it is Kuga's ass after I ram my foot up it.

The night was getting boring. I decided to book it early—I had a class to attend in the afternoon that I couldn't exactly miss. The key in my pocket was silver, not brass. Pretty-boy had handed it to me wordlessly when I showed up at the prescribed address many months ago. It opened the door to another tidy one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment, my home base of sorts. I was merely watching over it for now until I could afford my own place. There is something distinctly unnerving about staying at Fujino's apartment, no matter how long it had been since the apartment had an occupant.

I paused in the middle of the street.

Well, there you are, standing right in front of me now.

Shizuru.

I knew I couldn't get my hopes up too much. A lot of foreigners with the same light brown hair did grace the streets of Tokyo. But my body was viciously overruling my mind and I began to walk towards it. Then this walking business turned into a jogging one and soon I whipped around a corner before my voice finally caught up with me.

"Fujino!"

The person stopped and my legs refused to move even for one more step, but their job was done.

"It's you… isn't it?"

She stiffened but remained still. I finally managed to catch my breath.

"Turn around. It's just me."

I almost wished I hadn't said that. The gaunt face that entered my vision was merely a shadow of the Kaichou I had grown up around. No longer was this the person that clapped her hands like an idiot and cheerfully went through the day manipulating others to do all the dirty work for her. Those muddled eyes were nearly black and only accentuated in their deadness by the hollow cheeks and overall loss of weight of their bearer.

Where the hell had she been? What had she seen?

"… Fujino."

An exhausted sigh wheedled its way out of Fujino's lips. There was an unhealthy blush to her cheeks—was she sick?

Wait a minute. Why did I care?

"Yes, Yuuki-han? What would you like?"

Ouch. Her voice had never sounded so bitter. I found myself entranced.

"Would you like a congratulatory party upon finding a failure such as myself wandering the streets?"

I was torn. On one hand I kinda wanted to laugh at her. On the other I definitely wanted to shake her and demand to know just what the hell happened. Confusion swam up my stomach and multiplied into a full-blown case of the jitters when Fujino suddenly turned and began to walk away. But by this time my body acted on its own again and I rushed forward to grab her wrist. My thumb and middle finger clearly overlapped as I did so and I nearly let go when I realized it.

No, I couldn't let her go again.

"What do you _want_," Fujino hissed bitterly. "Do you want to go back to babysitting me again?"

What?

For a second I wasn't quite sure what to say. How did she figure out Kuga's bargain? It didn't matter. I had to play this game better than her. In record time my lips twisted into a frown.

"Look at you babbling like that. Shut up with that crazy talk, Fujino."

Fujino obviously didn't hear me.

"This must have been some sort of game for you, hasn't it?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I am not something for you to fuck around with."

Well that was unexpected, but Fujino wasn't done even when she nearly made me jump at the sound of her voice.

"You always, always had it in for me, Yuuki-han. But did you honestly think I'd be fooled when Natsuki… when Natsuki decided to pay you a bribe to watch over me so I don't go fucking insane while she goes and falls off the face of the fucking earth?"

A few things were registering deep red flags in my mind, but I was astounded by the language being used. Really now, such things can be conveyed with less colorful language.

"… Did you realize you just said 'fuck' three times, Fujino?" I paused for a moment. "Well, 'fuck' once and 'fucking' twice, but that's beside the point. This must be some sort of record."

"… Yuuki-han."

I stopped as she knocked her head back an inch and stared at me through lidded eyes. Ah, there she was.

Hello again, Kaichou.

A shiver formed at the base of my spine and I fought to keep myself grounded as those unearthly crimson eyes locked on.

"If you are going to ridicule me, please don't talk to me again when you are finished. Your voice is annoying enough and I do not want to deal with wanton stupidity as well."

It was arrogant enough to make even Mai get ticked, so right now you're damn right in thinking that I was angry. But I coughed to hide it.

"I'm not going to ridicule you, Fujino… at least, not right now." I sighed, this wasn't going well. "Just… Just come with me. You've got nothing out here waiting for you."

"Are you to tell me that _you_ have something for me instead?" she asked.

"Well uh… I can't really promise that. But I do have certain things like hot water and some food. And tea, if I can remember where it is." I shook my head. "A kid could probably beat you into the pavement right now, Fujino."

Fujino's brow was furrowed. Uncertainty swam over the brittle shell that cracked over her heart and for the first time I took the time to see my own reflection swimming in blood-red pigment. Something seemed to click and Fujino finally nodded once. My fingers easily slipped down from her wrist to her hand, grasping onto it with a firm grip. For a moment we both paused and stared at our interlocked hands. I gave her a gentle tug and she obediently shuffled into place, following me out into the sleepy streets in time to catch the last subway going home.

Home…

Fujino stared at the walls of her apartment as we walked in and I tossed the keys against the couch. The stack of economics textbooks and collection of novels written in other languages was a clear argument that indeed, she had spent some period of her life within these welcoming walls. I pushed her into the bathroom and set out some towels along with a change of clothes.

"Here you are. Don't drown. If you do I will beat you, and if you're still alive after that I'll beat you again." I paused for effect. "And don't lock the door, either."

I figured she was a pretty reasonable individual despite wandering Tokyo for several months. It would, quite simply, be impolite for her to kill herself after being shown this much mercy in one night. When I heard the shower start up as opposed to the bath I parked myself over at the couch and grabbed my phone. After a quick scroll through the contacts I reached pretty-boy's number.

"… Hey, pick up."

He seemed to be in for a lovely all-nighter with an advanced physiology textbook. I wandered over to the kitchen to turn on the heat for the lone pot sitting on the burner. While it heated I went back to the couch and waited.

"_Ah, Nao-chan. What brings you to call so… early._"

"Listen, I found her."

There was a pause.

"_How… how is she?_"

I heard the brief static of his sigh wheedling its way through the speakers when I failed to reply.

"… _That bad, is it?_"

"Yeah. She looks like she hasn't eaten in weeks." A sudden thought had occurred to me and I wrinkled my nose. "With that rich family of hers I wonder how she ever managed to live penniless."

"_Well… people can manage._"

There was something he wasn't telling me but my eyes had already traveled to the clock on the DVD player. I noticed the time and heard the water shut off almost on cue.

"Listen, I left her in the shower so I'm going to hang up and make sure she didn't go drown herself."

"_Alright. I guess… Well. Take care of her._"

I clapped the cellphone shut and tapped it against my lips once, twice. The door to the bathroom opened, emitting a gust of steam that trailed out into the hallway. Fujino stepped out of this cloud wearing pajama pants that were a little too big and a navy t-shirt. Her hair had been neatly combed and if it were drier she would have made a most wonderful portrait of the Kaichou minus a few pounds. I cleared my throat.

"Sit down."

She looked at the small dining table and obeyed. A plate of warmed rice had been set out and I stirred the contents of the pot once before scooping out a sizeable portion of curry on top of the rice. Fujino stared at the display with a surprised expression as I stuck a spoon in her plate.

"I'm sure my cooking isn't the best and Mai agrees. So she stopped by a couple of days ago and left a pot of curry after dinner."

After a few minutes of quiet chewing and swallowing Fujino set the spoon down.

"This is… this is actually very good."

"Isn't it? Sure beats having to rely on convenience stores."

The rest of the meal was carried on in relative silence but it didn't really matter at this point. After the plate had been cleared I noticed that Fujino had now taken the liberty of walking around her own apartment for a little bit. She settled on a framed photograph.

"… Where did you get this?"

I plopped down on the couch and crossed my arms.

"I grabbed it from your apartment. Seems a shame to box it away."

Fujino closed her eyes and sighed. The question needn't be spoken, because I had already asked it too many times tonight to myself.

Why am I doing any of this?

"Maybe I'll try to kill you with kindness this time around, Fujino."

She allowed me to walk her to her room, where she eased herself onto cooled white sheets that accentuated an unhealthy red blush on her cheeks. Was she sick? A quick check of her forehand by my hands alerted me to the searing heat that I had failed to register earlier.

"Fujino, you gotta take care of yourself better."

I fished around the bedside table and emerged victoriously with a set of pills. Fujino took them without question and sank back into bed. I stared at her for a moment before frowning.

"Fujino. That was poison you just swallowed. I suppose it'll be good to know that it'll make you fall asleep first, though. Be thankful I'm that generous."

My cruel ruse was taken extremely well. In fact Fujino chuckled humorlessly and turned over so I couldn't see her face.

"That's fine. It's not like I had a lot to look forward to anyway."

My smile fell. The room was filled with the sound of soft, even breathing. Without thinking I found that my fingers sank down to the warm of her scalp while being tickled by silken strands of hair. Despite Fujino's response there was no denying that she was still very much alive.

"… Idiot," I managed to whisper in the darkness.

* * *

_The sun was going down. Mai had since stopped nervously chewing on her thumbnail and was instead drumming her fingers against her knees as she sat on the corner of the bed. Nao leaned back against her seat and stretched her arms above her head in one long stretch. If she had yawned, she would have made a perfect caricature of a cat. Mai shelved this thought in her head for further amusement before refocusing on the information she had yet to digest._

"_So what had happened, during those months?" _

_Nao offered a half-hearted shrug._

"_No one knows. Really. No one does. Except Fujino, but good luck trying to get that answer out of her."_

_Mai's lips quirked to the left for a second before her fingers stopped drumming against her knees._

"_You know, for a rich, old-money family, the Fujinos were rather liberal."_

_Mai looked up._

"_Oh?"_

"_For one thing, they sort of accepted Fujino's comings and goings. It doesn't explain her financial situation with them, but she was never disowned."_

"_So why do you think she was running around?"_

_Nao rolled her eyes and turned to face the older woman._

"_Mai, I just told you—"_

_Mai put a finger up and Nao paused mid-sentence._

"_You told me that no one else knew. I'm asking what you think."_

_Nao opened her mouth for a moment only to shut it. She rubbed at her neck._

"…_. To be honest, I just think she was in a cage herself, and the walls were closing in. So she had to get out."_

* * *

Life also has a funny way of making one clean up after oneself.

Over the next few weeks we mostly avoided one another. To her credit Fujino remained relatively sane. She remembered to smile when appropriate—and sometimes not, to my amusement and pretty-boy's concern—and she kept herself clean and polished like a proper Kaichou should. Very little passed between the two of us in terms of conversation and I had even begun to think of Fujino as a pet of sorts. A very well-behaved and elegant sort of pet, but a pet nonetheless. Pets were fed and kept for company. Fujino was fed at regular intervals and she was content to be left alone by herself for hours on end.

Hey, I never said I was any good at this sort of thing. It's a learning process, isn't it?

Minagi never really knew when to back off until I gave him a kind reminder to mind his own damn business. Mai had attempted to visit at first, but this tapered off as well. I like to think that this was because of Fujino's tendency to do nothing but drink tea and stare at her funny, as if asking Mai if she knew the reason why everything was so awkward. This was fine. I wasn't much for friends anyway. I didn't have people falling all over themselves trying to help me in the past when I wanted someone to listen to me. Therefore, it's perfectly logical for me to ignore the inane advice I was being given by all these people who had just now come out of the woodwork for our wonderfully bonkers Kaichou.

After all it's not like Kuga asked any of them to take care of Fujino.

Sometimes when I wasn't careful I'd laugh about it, only to have Fujino stare at me with that horribly empty stare. But it was funny. The one person who could have given less than two shits about Kaichou was now cleaning up the empty bottles and locking up the liquor cabinet only to find it unlocked in the morning. And it wasn't like I could do anything about it… or maybe it was because I didn't care. I had no real reason to.

If she wants to drink herself to death then that's fine too.

Despite all of this, Fujino always managed to wake up before me and stumble in the shower for precisely twenty minutes, after which she would emerge fresh and ready to take on another hard day at school. To be honest I was rather impressed. Every afternoon Fujino would drop her bags by the door, finish her work for the day, and then it was off to the cabinet for a few hours before she passed out in the early morning hours. I would yell out one excuse after another as I ran out the door to disappear until the early morning darkness brought me back. Sometimes, if I was early, I knew I could turn and see those crimson eyes glowing in the darkness. But I never did. I was never in a mood to deal with these sorts of problems.

So on, and so forth. Life goes on.

* * *

_The apartment was cloaked in silence as soon as Mai left. Nao found herself sitting in the darkness until the door opened once more, bringing with it the soft scent of jasmine. She closed her eyes and sighed heavily._

"_Another difficult talk?"_

_Slim fingers traced a long line on her forearm. Nao leaned back and felt Shizuru's cheek rest against the side of her head in the process. Her eyes opened slowly._

"_What if I had been there for you back then?" Nao asked quietly._

_A month ago, those fingers would have stilled. There would have been a sharp inhalation of breath not so easily masked, and a shake of the head that would imply that such a gesture would have been unnecessary. But this time Shizuru kept up her ministrations and even offered a small chuckle._

"_You wouldn't have received this, then."_

_Nao looked down. Even in the darkness she could see the long, thin scar that stretched across her arm. She sighed once more._

"_I suppose it's too hopeful of me to ask whether I get to hear you say those words anytime soon."_

_Shizuru's fingers stopped, but only because they shifted over to the chair's arm. _

"_A life for a life, Yuuki-han. The debt has been repaid."_

"_You know… that's not what I meant."_

_Her words were strained, her voice only a hiss. _

"…_. I know. And I'm sorry."_

_Shizuru walked out of the room just as abruptly as she came in, leaving Nao alone with the dimming glow of her green eyes providing the only change of color in the room of gray. _

* * *

AN:

I was reading over recent reviews and to be fair, I've been having the same thoughts on where I was going with this piece. It's starting to write itself, but I too am wondering where the emotion is. Perhaps you as readers could help me out on this one.

Cheers.


	5. The Outsider

Hello, Author here.

Here is a little break from Nao's snark. With it comes the introduction of part 2. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

**The Outsider**

The scent of cigarettes and booze and the funk of sweat and sex creates a simple, rich perfume of that spells out nothing but failure to the disheartened middle aged men who carouse around the clubbing districts of Tokyo in the middle of the night. Perhaps if they were ten years younger, still bright eyed and in awe of the flashing lights surrounding them, they would have likened this mixture of smells as the badge of their accomplishments in their young lives. Everything would be instantly better when viewed through the eyes of one growing up, rather than one who has already taken that trip only to gain nothing but a few gray hairs and a disappointed sigh that spoke of too many lonely nights.

Me? I simply sat back and took it all in.

It would be foolish to differentiate myself from the disappointed masses. In fact I should have considered myself a queen of their destitute natures. For I was suffering as much as they were, and I was no stranger to failure like so many people had assumed I would be. Money would solve only a minute portion of my problems, and it would invite so many more over the years. I knew this just as well as I knew that it would take at least half a bottle of vodka for me to even notice that something was just begging to pull my lips into some grotesque imitation of a smile. Laughter would come more easily, then finally the cruel arms of sobriety would claim me and dunk me once more into the pool of misery that I had just managed to climb out of.

What was I waiting for?

The delinquent high-schoolers that surround the 7-11 on the corner are three seconds away from a new pack of smokes. Hovering on the verge of obnoxiousness, their bright eyes and chattering mouths only paint them out to be nothing more than dirty-minded virgins. They are, for lack of a better term, excited. They are excited over every joint, every drink, every chance at sex. I wonder if that wide-eyed excitement ever entered my mind before. Maybe once, I can't quite recall.

But damn, I ran out of vodka.

Time to go to the liquor store.

Maybe I would be able to forget Natsuki for one more night.

The door opens, and something runs into me, soft and warm. She's too light, at times, and I worry about her as my hands shoot out and clamp over her small shoulders. I have even more of a height advantage over her than most people, but this strange difference seems to make holding her even more comfortable… but I quit it and instead push her away from me so I can look at her more closely. She is panting, now, and one of her eyes is already swelling up in an alarming manner. I narrow my eyes—it looked as if she had run into someone's fist. Frankly it didn't surprise me, but then I felt something slick run down the length of my arm.

It's interesting to see something that comes so close to the color of my own eyes. Blood has a copper tinge but in the right light it gets so bright and deceptively red that you forget yourself as you watch it run.

She's no stranger to pain, but this is the worst I have seen her. She makes it no secret that she still strings up perverts and beats them up for cash after drawing them in her web of lies and deceit. But the times are hard and the beatings harder, and she can never quite get out of them without sustaining some sort of injury. But this is worse, much worse than I had seen. Her shoulders are shaking and while her eyes make no sign of pain I can tell quite easily that something terribly wrong has happened.

She still says nothing, even as Reito runs in after her with a bag of bandages in hand. I cannot hear what he shouts to my face as she is escorted to the couch. All I focus on is the dots of red that streak the entrance of my apartment. As I stare, something pulls deep within me and I clench my fist.

No one makes her bleed.

I wonder for a moment what makes me think that thought, but it is lost as I grab my coat and walk out into the darkness.

This is my element, my blood, my only way to pay her back.

I pick them out, hanging around a sleazy establishment. It's not particularly hard—I didn't survive without some ability to differentiate the wolves from the sheep. And these men are the worst in their mild disguises, blending in with the innocents as they order drinks and congratulate themselves on teaching some bitch a lesson.

Bad actors, with bad habits.

When they finally see me they see nothing more than a girl with a sober expression on her face, so when I nod politely towards the back door they see no reason why they shouldn't follow. The cold air hits my face and I draw in a slow, steady breath. In my pocket there is a small switchblade, a present from a remnant of the past. The handle is etched with a detailed picture of an ouroboros, and my finger runs against the raised edges with a growing sense of calm.

The first man is down before he can even grip my arm. I flick the knife out and watch with quiet curiosity as the blood flings out in one clean arc. His howls of pain are lost within the outraged growls of his companions, but unlike the wolf I used to know, these animals are undisciplined and poorly matched in a fight. Despite my growing disgust they fall down maimed, and the blade is cleaned before I flick it back into its handle.

I exhale.

Why was I out here? Oh yeah. Vodka.

But I find myself walking back to my apartment, my steps feeling rather heavy. I'm not too sure what I have just brought upon myself. Did I really just maim these men? Sure, I suppose. I shake my head and walk in the door, only to see Reito looking at me with a mildly-concerned expression on his face. It is always mild, for he has learned over the years that anything past mild is something that I cannot acknowledge without letting my own guard down. But he nods his head towards my room and picks up his things without a word, and I am left alone in the darkness once more.

This is stifling. I almost forget to breathe for a moment and when I do the copper scent returns to my nose and my hands start to shake.

The door to my room is ajar and it offers little resistance as I push it open. She is sitting on the edge of my bed with her arm covered in white bandages. Her head is down, her lips already swollen from biting down. The swelling of her eye from earlier is now starting to change to some strange color, a mix of violent blues and reds, and for a second I stare at it. Then her head snaps up as if she finally notices I have arrived, and the poisonous green of her eyes is gone, replaced with a softer jade that simultaneously surprises and upsets me.

We were only supposed to tolerate each other.

I admit to some sloppiness on my part as she stares at my coat arm. I will have to remember to dump it later. I shrug and take off the coat, revealing nothing more than clean, unbroken skin. Her eyes grow softer and she does the only thing she probably knows how to do other than yell.

Her lips crash into mine—she is curiously inexperienced. But I close my eyes and let her arms snake around my waist. After a moment her head is buried into my chest and I feel a memory echo in my head. When was the last time this happened? The smell of the sea enters my brain and I remember with a rueful smile. This time the hug is not joined with a right hook to the jaw, but that's fine with me. I wrap my arms around her frail figure and hold her. Was it right? I don't know. But this causes me to smile, and I bury my face into her hair and breathe in slowly.

Everything around us is turning into the biggest pile of ashes as our unstable bridges begin to burn. But if I was the fire that threatened to consume everything we knew, then she was stubbornly fireproof.

* * *

Shizuru's characterization is a bit more extreme than the polite Kaichou, lol.

Part 2 is coming soon, and with it the answer to the biggest question of Part 1.

Cheers.


End file.
